Freed Kenyan national Omar re-arrested over terrorism

Police have re-arrested Omar Awadh Omar, a Kenyan national who was recently freed by the International War Crime Division of the High court.

Omar was first arrested in 2010 during a swoop of persons suspected for masterminding the attack on Kyadondo Rugby Grounds in Lugogo and Ethiopian Village restaurant in Kabalagala.

The attack which targeted Ugandans who were watching the FIFA World Cup finals between Spain and the Netherlands at the two sites, claimed more than 70 lives. He had been in detention for eight years.

During the trial, the prosecution alleged that months before the attacks, Omar received Shs 138.8 million from London through Qaran forex bureau in Kenya and used that money to fund the attacks in Uganda.

Omar Awadh Omar
But in June 2016, Omar and four others; Abubaker Batemyetto and Dr Ismael Kalule Yahaya Mbuthia Suleiman and Muhammad Hamid Suleiman were acquitted of all charges and court ordered their release. Current deputy chief justice Alphonse Owiny-Dollo said prosecution had failed to prove a case against them beyond a reasonable doubt. The four others included.

However, they were re-arrested and slapped with fresh charges of terrorism. According to the fresh charge sheet, the group was found in possession of literature for promoting terrorism. They allegedly committed the offense between February 16 and March 16, 2016 while under detention.

Related Stories

State prosecutors stated that the literature contained detailed descriptions and instructions on how to successfully carry out a terror attack including a description of criteria for target choice, personnel identification and training, surveillance and the appropriate weapons to be used in the said attack.

But they were freed last week after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) discontinued their trial. The court thereafter received deportation letters for three of the suspects, said to be Kenyan nationals deemed to be undesirable according to Internal Affairs minister Jeje Odongo.

The three include Omar, Yahaya Mbuthia Suleiman and Muhammad Hamid Suleiman. However, Omar insists that he is a Ugandan and cannot be deported to Kenya and is challenging the deportation in court.

In his application filed before the International Crimes Division of High court today, Omar states that that he is a biological son of the late Omar Awadh an Arab of Kenyan origin, and Fatuma Said Abdallah - a Munyankore by tribe and Ugandan by nationality.

But before his application could be heard, Omar was re-arrested from his mother's home in Kawuku. He is currently detained at Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Kireka. His lawyer Caleb Alaka confirmed his arrest.

"He was picked from his home on Entebbe road by plain-clothed people who identified themselves as police operatives and we have found out that he is in Kireka," Alaka said.

A source in the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) told URN on condition of anonymity that the only way that Omar would be freed is if he accepts to be deported to Kenya.

"It does not matter that he was exonerated. There is no way that we are going to allow him to remain in Uganda and not be in cells," the source said.

Omar is one of the wanted suspects in Kenya for allegedly financing terror acts and upon deportation is likely to be arrested by Kenyan authorities. Earlier this year, the justice Owiny-Dollo revealed that he had exonerated a suspect who he was sure was guilty of masterminding the July 11, 2010 twin bombing in Kampala.

Even though he did not reveal the name of the suspect, he said the only reason to exonerate the suspect was that the United Kingdom refused to give Uganda very important evidence implicating him.

The files in court show that Omar allegedly received money from al-Shabaab members from the United Kingdom, which was used to finance operations for the bombing of Kyadondo Grounds and Ethiopian Village restaurant where at least 78 people died.

The UK refused to give the evidence which included the transaction documents, identity and confessions made by the funders because President Yoweri Museveni refused to agree to their condition not to sentence Omar to death once found guilty and convicted.

Comments

The late Fred Rwegyema was the deputy army comanda and Paul Kagame was director of intelligence in the army, including many others who were holding strategic posts in various institutions in the country but living as refugees in Uganda.

Many of them later went back to their country of origin. Who gave them the Ugandan citizenship?

Today this man found innocent .by the court is illegally arrested by the police and denied his nationality, despite being the son of a Ugandan woman.

No doubt we are gorvned by individuals lacking patriotism, who cannot even protect Ugandans.